Spanish footballer Rafa Mir was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison on Monday by the Valencia Provincial Court after being found guilty of sexual assault and causing bodily harm.
The 28-year-old, who plays for Elche on loan from Sevilla, was convicted for an incident involving two women at his home in Bétera, near Valencia, on September 1, 2024. The ruling was issued by the Fourth Section of the court and is not final, as it can be appealed. Mir has stated he will appeal and maintains that the encounter was consensual.
According to the court, Mir and fellow footballer Pablo Jara met two women at Mya nightclub in Valencia and later went to Mir’s residence to continue the party. The court found that Mir sexually assaulted one of the women in the pool and a bathroom at his home. He received a seven-year sentence for sexual assault with penetration involving violence and an additional 18 months for causing physical harm. Jara was sentenced to two and a half years for sexual assault and a crime against moral integrity. Mir was also given a 13-year restraining order and ordered to pay the victim €64,000 in compensation.
Mir was arrested in September 2024 after a complaint was filed. At the time of the offense he was on loan at Valencia from Sevilla, and he spent the 2025-26 season on loan at Elche.
Following the verdict, Sevilla released a statement expressing respect for judicial proceedings and condemning any type of violence or abuse. The case has drawn attention in Spain amid increased scrutiny of conduct in sports after several high-profile incidents involving athletes.